ABBA pay tribute to Olivia Newton-John: “Her music and personality will always remain in memory”

The Swedish icons competed against the late singer and actor at Eurovision 1974

ABBA have paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John who died yesterday (August 8) aged 73.

The Australian singer and Grease actor passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California, as confirmed by her husband John Easterling in a statement.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” the message read.

Today (August 9), ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (aka Frida) both paid their respects to Newton-John in a post on the Swedish group’s official social media pages.

The pair crossed paths with the late star in 1974 when both she and ABBA competed in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton.

Newton-John, who was representing the United Kingdom, came in fourth place with her track ‘Long Live Love’. ABBA were crowned overall winners that evening with their hit ‘Waterloo’.

Alongside a photo of ABBA and Newton-John on-stage together, Frida wrote: “What do you feel, what do you say when the nice, kindest and most loving woman leaves us to travel somewhere else.

“The heart aches to know Olivia’s brave fight against an, in her case, invincible enemy. That she never gave up or complained about her situation, but instead told us her story so that we would understand and want to help others affected.”

She added: “I am grateful to have known a person like you Olivia and you will always be in my heart.”

Fältskog said that she was “so sad to hear of Olivia’s passing”, writing: “A fine person has left us – and there are many of us who mourn her now… My thoughts go out to the family, and her music and personality will always remain in memory.”

Elsewhere, the official Eurovision Twitter page posted a video clip of Newton-John’s 1974 performance. “Long Live Olivia [heart emoji]”, they captioned the snippet. You can see both uploads above.

Upon the news breaking of Newton-John’s death, her Grease co-star John Travolta (who played Danny Zuko) shared an emotional tribute message. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much,” he began.

“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Olivia Newton-John is perhaps best known for her role as Sandy Olsson in classic 1978 musical rom-com in which she performed songs such as  ‘Summer Nights’ and ‘You’re The One That I Want’.

The singer also won four Grammys over the course of her music career. Her other notable tracks include ‘Physical’, ‘Let Me Be There’, ‘If You Love Me’ and a cover of Bob Dylan‘s ‘If Not For You’.

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